Mining apparatus



J 1965 J. w. HEIMASTER ETAL 3,191,754

MINING APPARATUS Filed May 24, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aff'd/P/VEY June 29, 1965 w HEIMASTER .ETAL 3,191,754

MINING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. .70/l/V 1/. H5 MASTER A70) 4. mw: 4 BY d mud? W/ Afl'o/F/V) June 29, 1965 Filed May 24, 1961 J. W. HEIMASTER ETAL MINING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS JOHN W. HEI MASTER ROY L. MCNEILL BYJMWJM? A 7' TORNEV June 1965 Filed Ma 2 "llllllllllll I.

WWII" J. W. HEIMASTER ETAL MINING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-s 4 INVENTO JOHN w. HEIMASTER ROY, L. McNElLL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,191,754 MINING APPARATUES John W. Heirnaster and Roy L. McNeill, Charleston,

W. Va., assignors to Union Carbide Corporation, a corporation of New York Fiied May 24, 1951, Ser. No. 112,395 6 Claims. (Cl. 198-92) This invention relates to mining, and more particularly to a novel apparatus for continuously mining relatively long, narrow rooms from an entry of conventional dimensions.

In the United States patent of Alspaugh and Cosner, No. 2,780,451 granted February 5, 1957, for Process and Apparatus for Bore Hole Mining and Conveying there is disclosed a process for mining elongated rooms from a platform located on a ledge along an exposed edge of the earth stratum to be mined. The material being mined is continuously conveyed out of each room by a train of wheeled conveyors which advances into the room as the end of the room is advanced. The unused part of such conveyor train is guided around a shortradius curve, and stored upon the ledge. Because no means existed at that time to permit the mined material to be conveyed around such short-radius curve, means was provided to discharge the mined material from the conveyors onto a conveyor on the platform. Such process was eminently suited for mining from a ledge on the side of a hill, but if applied in an underground mine, would require entries or tunnels of prohibitive height and width.

An object of this invention is to provide means for conveying coal around a short radius bend, thus eliminating the need for a launching platform and its associated conveyor. By this means, the mining process may be carried out in an underground mine from an entry no higher than the thickness of the desired earth stratum, and no wider than conventional mine entries.

In the United States patent of Felbeck, Heimaster and Newlon, No. 2,978,235 granted April 4, 1961, for Continuous Mining, the conveyor is sufiiciently wide to receive any falls of roof material including ceiling slabs in the room being mined, and convey such material out of such room.

For conveyors of practical length, and of a width such as to enable them to catch and convey fallen roof material, the angle between adjacent conveyors becomes so great when the train is traveling a curved path of relatively short radius, that part of the material discharged by a preceding conveyor fails to fall upon the next succeeding conveyor. Another object of this invention is to provide novel means in which the discharge point is automatically maintained in register with the receiving point while such a train is traversing such a curve.

Each conveyor vehicle in the train consists of two major assemblies, i.e., a running gear section or supporting vehicle unit comprising a frame mounted upon two wheels near its rear end, and articulately attached at its front end to the rear end of the preceding conveyor vehicle; and a conveying section or longitudinal endless conveyor unit comprising the conveyor frame, shafts and sprockets, chains and flights, drive motor, etc. The running gear section is constrained to follow a curved path of relatively short radius. The front end of the conveying section is pivotally attached near the front end of the running gear section so that the rear end of each conveying section can be swung transversely with respect to its running gear section.

A novel pin and slot linkage connects one side near the rear of each of the conveying sections to the corresponding side near the front of the next succeeding conveying section, so that the rear of each conveying section is swung transversely to automatically maintain it in proper cascade relationship with the front of the next succeeding conveying section. Thus, none of'the material being conveyed is spilled.

In this method of mining, the mining machine and the attached train of conveyor vehicles start from a position essentially on the longitudinal axis of an entry. The machine is advanced along a curved path to enter the seam at a desired angle on either side of the entry. The train is guided to follow this same path as the machine advances int-o the seam. The mined material is conveyed to the rear of the train, where it is discharged onto a standby conveyor located in the entry to one side of the train. As the mining progresses, the train advances into the room, and the discharge point advances along the entry. A room is completed when the end of the train reaches the starting point of the mining machine. The train and mining machine are then backed out of the room into the entry, and a new starting point established, such that the next room to be mined will be at a selected spacing from the first room. This sequence of events is continued until the entire area served by the entry has been mined.

If, as is to be preferred, the mining machine is controlled remotely, the control station is located at' the discharge end of the train and travels with it, so that the operator is always in a position to observe the discharge from the train onto the standby conveyor. This has the further advantage of maintaining a constant distance between the machine and control station, so that it is unnecessary to provide cable reels to store unused cable,

as is required with other processes for remotely controlled mining.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of apparatus illustrating the invention, showing a hole being bored at an angle to an entry;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of several conveyor vehicles being guided along an arc of a curve;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of several such conveyor vehicles;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional View of the conveyor taken on the line 4-4, of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view mainly of a single conveyor vehicle;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevational view of such conveyor vehicle; .and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of the conveyor.

In FIG. 1 a hole 1 is being bored at an angle to an entry or tunnel 2 by a continuous mining machine 3. Connected to the rear of the machine 3 is a train of conveyor vehicles 4, 5, 6, and 7, each having a continuous conveyor consisting of a drive motor and speed reducer 26, FIG. 5, driving two conveying chains 3% through sprocket shaft 27. The conveying chains 3% carry the conveyor flights 31 across the flat conveyor pan 32 from front to rear. This movement of the conveyor flights 31 moves material resting on the conveyor pan 32 rearwardly and conveys it over the rear sprocket shaft 27 onto the succeeding conveyor frame 22, FIG. 6;.

thus the continuously mined material is continuously conveyed rearwardly during the advance of the machine 3, FIG. 1. Each vehicle is provided with non-steerable wheels 8 and 9. Wheel guide Iii assures that each vehicle follows the desired path in tunnel 2 and constrains it to follow an arc of a short radius curve at the junction between hole 1 and entry 2. Once inside hole 1, the path of the vehicle is governed by the direction of the bore, as shown in FIG. 1.

Transverse conveyor 11 attached to the rear of the last conveyor vehicle 12 serves to continuously convey Patented June 29, 1965 the mined material from the end of the train of conveyor vehicles to a standby conveyor 1.3 installed along one side of entry 2, which conveys the mined material out of the entry, or out of the mine. Control station 14, also attached to the rear end of the train, serves to house the operator, instruments and controls for the operation of mining machine 3. Trailing cable 15 serves to supply power to control station 14.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show conveyor vehicles 4-, 5, 6, and 7 being guided by wheel guide 10 along the arc of a short-radius curve. Each of such vehicles comprises as shown in FIG. 7, a wheeled frame 17, pivotally connected by pin 18, washer i9 and keeper 2t} to a ring 21 that is attached to the preceding conveyor vehicle, such as conveyor vehicle 4, for example. Pin 18 also pivotally connects conveyor frame 22 to wheeled frame 17 by suitable means including a ring 23 attached to the front end of conveyor frame 22. Pin 24 attached to the rear end of conveyor frame 22 co-operates with slot 25 at the front of conveyor frame 22' associated with the next succeeding conveyor vehicle, such as conveyor vehicle 6, for example, to cause the rear end of conveyor frame 22 to move transversely with respect to wheeled frame 17 so that all material being conveyed on conveyor frame 22 is discharged onto the front end of conveyor frame 22' of the next succeeding conveyor vehicle. Point A (shown in phantom) shows the position point A would occupy if conveyor frame 22 were not moved transversely with respect to wheeled frame 17. It is obvious that conveyed material would be spilled if such were not done.

As the train advances into the hole, the conveyor vehicles near the mining machine 3 leave the arc of the short-radius curve, and enter the straight bore, while succeeding conveyor vehicles enter such arc. As this occurs, pin 24 moves along slot 25 to maintain in turn proper register between the discharge point of each conveyor vehicle and the receiving point of the next succeeding conveyor vehicle.

Thus, the invention provides for material to be conveyed around a curve by a moving train of conveyor vehicles, the conveying sections of which are of practical length and of a width such as to enable them to cat-ch and convey fallen roof material. The radius of such curve may be as short as the length of an individual conveyor vehicle, or as long as desired. The major value of this invention is realized when the radius of the curve is relatively short, however.

What is claimed is:

1. Mining apparatus comprising, in combination, a bore mining machine; a train of conveyor vehicles each having a running gear section; pivot means each pivotally connecting respective adjacent running gear sections;

a longitudinal continuous conveyor section pivotally connected at one end to each respective running gear section; pin means depending at a side of from the other end of each of said conveyor sections; and longitudinal slot means on each conveyor section arranged and disposed thereon to subtend and slideably engage the pin means of each of respective adjacent conveyor sections.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein means for pivotally connecting said one end of said conveyor section consists of the said pivot means connecting said respective adjacent running gear sections.

3. Mining apparatus as defined by claim 1, including a car connected to the end of such train provided with a control station for operating personnel.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in combination with external guiding means disposed to guide said running gear sections through a preselected substantially horizontal arc deiinin a turn from an entry into a room being mined at an angle of less than 180.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said external guiding means consists of a wheel track fixed to the floor of a seam being mined.

6. Mining apparatus comprising, in combination, a bore mining machine; a train of conveyor vehicles each comprising a longitudinal continuous conveyor section and a wheeled frame; pivot means each pivotally connecting adjacent Wheeled frames of said train of conveyor vehicles and one end of each of said longitudinal continuous conveyor sections of said train of conveyor vehicles; pin means fixedly attached at a side of and depending from the other end of each of said longitudi nal continuous conveyor sections of said train of conveyor vehicles; and longitudinal slot means fixedly attached at a side of each of said longitudinal continuous conveyor sections subtending and slideably engaging said pin means of'each respective adjacent of said longitudinal continuous conveyor sections.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,196,659 4/40 Cartlidge 198-88 X 2,420,009 5/47 Osgood 19892 X 2,722,409 11/55 Bergmann l9892 X 2,776,040 1/57 Snyder 198-92 2,780,451 2/57 Alspaugh et al. l98*92 X 2,923,398 2/60 Milik 198-92 2,948,552 8/60 Moon 198-92 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

JULiUS E. WEST, WILLIAM B. LA BORDE,

Examiners. 

1. MINING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BORE MINING MACHINE; A TRAIN OF CONVEYOR VEHICLES EACH HAVING A RUNNING GEAR SECTION; PIVOT MEANS EACH PIVOTALLY CONNECTING RESPECTIVE ADJACENT RUNNING GEAR SECTIONS; A LONGITUDINAL CONTINUOUS CONVEYOR SECTION PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END TO EACH RESPECTIVE RUNNING GEAR SECTION; PIN MEANS DEPENDING AT A SIDE OF FROM THE OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID CONVEYOR SECTIONS; AND LONGITUDINAL SLOT MEANS ON EACH CONVEYOR SECTION ARRANGED AND DISPOSED THEREON TO SUBTEND AND SLIDEABLY ENGAGE TO PIN MEANS OF EACH OF RESPECTIVE ADJACENT CONVEYOR SECTIONS. 